The beginning of college application season kicks off every year on Aug. 1. After going through the rollercoaster of applying and being accepted earlier this month to the University of North Texas, here are the top five most important things I learned.

Prepare early

Knowing what you want to do in the future is so important because that will dictate where you should go to college. How far do you want to move? What do you want to study? These are questions that I frequently asked myself all throughout high school. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I really knew I had a passion for psychology.

Choosing to go to UNT was one of the easiest decisions because I knew what I wanted to pursue. After figuring out I wanted to study psychology, I immediately asked my family and found out that my great-uncle is a UNT alumnus. After taking time to do research on my own, I learned UNT is one of the top schools in the state for psychology. I was immediately sold and knew that is where I wanted to spend the next years of my life.

Write your essay over the summer

Writing your essay early is something not frequently talked about, but I think it should be because it is so crucial to saving time and getting a head start. Writing my application essay over the summer was beneficial because it gave me time to brainstorm topic ideas, look over the given prompts and come up with a strong lead. Having to scan over your life to find one thing important enough to write about is so hard and time-consuming, so having  that extra time really helped. Senior year is also jam-packed with schoolwork, so getting a headstart ensures an easier and more manageable workload.

Have those funds

Being a first-generation college student, no one told me how expensive application fees really are, especially if you’re paying yourself. Working and saving my money helped me pay for the fees. For reference, applying to UNT was $65 and that’s a pretty average price.

Touring

I toured my first college my junior year, and I wish I would have started sooner. Having an idea of what your campus environment will be like is important because you want to make sure you spend the next few years of your life somewhere you are happy and comfortable. Walking around, seeing the town and checking out campus is such a fun thing to do with friends and family. When I toured UNT in June, I knew it was the college for me the second I stepped foot on campus. It just felt right being there, like I belonged there. Having that feeling is the goal you want to achieve when touring.

Get involved with student life before you go

This is something I learned on my own. Check out your school’s social media. It’s such a fun way to get a feel of what student life is like. I checked out all the clubs through Instagram and followed all the pages based on what I want to do when I attend next fall. For example, I followed UNT’s tennis club on Instagram, as well as the school’s radio station. Following the school’s official social media will also benefit you because you get to stay updated on all the events happening around campus and it gives you something to look forward to!

All in all, applying for college can be a life-changing experience. Don’t let others and stress get the best of you. Enjoy your high school years – and the college application process – because it goes by so fast.